Shot During Yoga: South Florida Lawyer Recovering After Attack
Sarah Young Hodges, a staff attorney for the First District Court of Appeal, is recovering after being shot at Hot Yoga Tallahassee on Nov. 2.
November 13, 2018 at 01:12 PM
3 minute read
Sarah Young Hodges, staff attorney at the First District Court of Appeal. Courtesy photo.
West Palm Beach lawyer Sarah Young Hodges, 34, was one of seven people shot at a yoga studio in Tallahassee at around 5:30 p.m. Nov. 2.
The gunman, Scott Paul Beierle, 40, posed as a patron before opening fire at Hot Yoga Tallahassee in Betton Place, according to police.
Hodges is a staff attorney for the First District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee. She was discharged from hospital Nov. 6, and is in a stable condition.
Florida State University faculty member Nancy Van Vessem, 61, and student Maura Binkley, 21, were killed. Patrons fought the shooter, Beierle, who eventually turned the gun on himself, according to police.
Hodges used to live in Tallahassee and had returned to film a continuing legal education video for the Young Lawyers Division of the Florida Bar. Hodges serves as program chair for the course.
Jennifer Shoaf Richardson of Jackson Lewis PC, in Jacksonville.“At the end of a very long day, eight-hour filming, probably, this happens,” said president of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Jennifer Shoaf Richardson, who appointed Hodges to her post.
Beierle had a history of making racist and misogynistic statements. In 2014, he posted several videos on YouTube, which had names like ”Plight of the Adolescent Male” and “The Rebirth of my Misogynism,” according to Buzzfeed News.
“Respect for women and the bodies of women is of central importance for us, and that's not a partisan issue and it should not be,” Richardson said. “We're so proud of Sarah for using her voice from this experience to encourage people to vote on election day.”
Just days after the shooting and on the eve of Florida's midterm elections, Hodges wrote an opinion piece for the Tallahassee Democrat, condemning the attacker's alleged ideology.
“I think that just speaks to who she is, that she would use her time in a hospital bed to encourage other people to vote and really think about what respect means,” said Richardson.
According to Richardson, Hodges has been a strong advocate for various legislative efforts, including paid parental leave for government lawyers.
Yoga pose. Photo: Shutterstock.“We are mothers, professionals, wives, caretakers, friends, sisters, aunts, cousins and members of our communities,” Hodges wrote. “One man ensured that Tallahassee lost two outstanding members of their community.”
According to the op-ed, Hodges and the other patrons were in child's pose, kneeling with their faces to the floor, when Beierle opened fire.
The Florida Yoga Teacher's Association has set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for the shooting victims and yoga studio owner.
Hodges declined to speak with the Daily Business Review while she recovers with her family and young daughter.
Hodges was admitted to the bar in 2012. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida and a law degree from Florida Coastal College of Law.
Related stories:
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Meta agrees to pay $25 million to settle lawsuit from Trump after Jan. 6 suspension
4 minute read
Executive Assistant, Alleging Pregnancy Discrimination and Retaliation, Sues Florida Healthcare Entrepreneur
3 minute read
Trending Stories
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
